The Diocese of Sangmelima, in the south of Cameroon, is in one of the poorest regions of the country. Almost half of the 185,000 or so inhabitants of the area are Catholics. These 90,000 or so Catholic faithful are ministered to by just 28 priests in 20 parishes. The Church faces major challenges here. On the one hand there are Pygmy tribes still living in the remote and inaccessible jungle, while on the other, many young people are moving into the towns and adopting a different kind of lifestyle. On top of this, major industrial companies are coming into the region, exploiting both the rainforest and the mineral reserves, often illegally. Their presence fosters increased prostitution, sexual abuse and alcoholism.

The Church has to address all these challenges at a pastoral and social level. A vital role in this is played by lay catechists, since the parishes are spread across a vast area and comprise numerous small villages. The priests cannot be everywhere at once, and so it is the task of the catechists to accompany the Catholic faithful, praying with them, instructing them and preparing them for reception of the sacraments.

In order to do this, these catechists themselves need thorough training so that they can transmit the faith of the Church accurately and appropriately and properly accompany the people on their path of faith.

Thanks to the generosity of our benefactors, ACN was able to give a contribution of $7,800 to fund the training of 75 new catechists in Cameroon.

This now completed project is an example of our work. If you would like to support a similar project, then please indicate the reference code below when making your donation. Thank you.